Pressure control switch



Aug. 15, 1950 P. v. HAYES PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Dec. 6, 1946 luren/ur PauZKHages Alloy/ley;

Agg. 15, 1950 P. v. HAYES 2,519,134

PRESSURE CONTROL SWITCH Filed Dec. 6, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6 l 'ff- A tio rney:

Patented ug. 15, v195() UNITED' STATES PAT ENT FFI CEl 2,519,134E rarissime coNraoL swrricn Paul V; Hayes Groveland, per centto' V. Ray Va lll., assigner of thirty' Application Decemter 6, 1'9461SerialNo. 714,594 3 Claimsr (Cl. 200-:8'1^.'6}

This invention relates to an automatic control/fand regulatingdevice adapted for attachment to`l anescapement conduit or the like by means of which pressure is normally maintained onseals for automatically actuating aV valve or other regu; later in the es'capement conduit toautomatically maintain a predetermined pressure or pressure range within the eseapemen-t conduit so that al desired amount ofpressu're'wi'll be provided' by the escape medium onthe seals'. ,Y

More particularly, itisy anobje'cto'f the present' invention to provide a regulating device actuated py the'pressure of"v the escaped medium for' actuatingA and deactuating means to control the pressure of the medium in the escapement conduit' or the like.

Variousv otherV objectsandv advar'itages of the' invention will hereinafter becomemore fully ap# parent from the following description of the draw-'- ings accornpanying'and-` forming a part' hereof; illustrating a preferred embodiment thereofy and wherein? Figure 1 is a side elevationa'f view, partly in section-illustrating one'embodim'ent of the invention in conjunction with one adaptation thereof;

Figure 25-is a longitudinal, substantially. central` sectional view of' a portion of the control device as shown onan enlarged'l scalewlth respect to Figure 1, andv Figure 3V is an enlarged' fragmentary sectional v-iew, partly in side elevation, *ofr one of the electrical contact members and its mounting..

The present invention finds utilityA in substantially any application where a compressedv me'- dfium is. subjecttolleakageand theV pressure ofthe. escaped medium is conned and thus appliecrto seals or other means-by means of Which inlitial escapement or thefinediumfisredlcedi or regulated` Thepressure control devine; hereinafter to be described: andillustrated inl the drawings; may! beutili'zed'. inconnectonA-withl steamE turbines; relnerieslrdistilleries anuislmilarr adaptatlonswnere it is necessary to regulate the escape' ofi ai ccnlv` pressed mediuml throughz pressure" seals: or' similar devices..

For: the purpose ot illustration; tle drawings` illustrate one adaptation of theinvehtiorv for' use with the pressure seals' of afstea'mf turbine? to regi ulatef the escapementl of=f steam by; wap' of. seals between the turbine: shell or" housing. and the turbine shaft.- Ancordingly,` inl thiseinbildlmentir the; press-urek medium# utilizedds this"V escapell steam which in substance* is vapouor distille@ water. However,. im other adaptations an@ 55 of the" regulator, air, Water, gasoline, oil or certain other substances could" constitute the escaped medi-urn and the actuating means of the control device'.

Irl-'connection with steam turbines and similarly in other apparatus where anescaped medium is utilized for actuating pressure seals' for preventing or limiting the escape-cf thev medium as'necessary for nur'nerous-` reasons, the escaped medium is generally conned: in a manifold conduit or header from whichA itis released by manually actuated controlA val'ves for maintaining a predetermined range; ofYV pressure in the header or conduit to thereby maintain' the desired pressure on the seals; In order te-functio'nieffectively, such an arrangement requires"v substantially a constant vigil soA that manual adjustment of the control valve may be made promptly to compensate for pressure variations in the conduit or header.

The present invention provides an apparatus which will operate automatically in response to pressure variations in the escapernent conduit o'r header for making or breaking an electric circuit to"A a reversible electric motor by means of which the regulating valves' of the conduit or header will loev automatically operated to open or close-,upon the occurrencev of an increase or decrease, respectiv'ely; in the pressure within the escapement conduit or header and on the pres- Slll Se'rS.

Referring more specifically' to` the drawings, for tHe-purpose ofillust'rating' one adaptation of the pressure control' device', designated generally 4,

the numeral 5 designates inner portions about the"` bladig and bladi'ng' hubs of a steam turbine having housing portions 1- through which a turbine shaft '8 extends. The housing' portions 'l ccntainstearn leak ol pressure seals El1 which surround portions of theV shaft il:y and which are located' adjacent to turbine shaft bearings 6 for limiting the escape of the pressure medium from the" turbine portions 5i in' this'nstance, said me-` dium constituting steam; TheA housingy portions? eachreceive an endof a lateral conduit |0 which opens-into the sealy Q thereofl and through which the pressure medium from the turbine" portions Slnay escape*hito-thev header or conduit l l, into whichtlie' opposite endsof the pipes IU open. The header or conduit I- is closed at the end'thereof 'lo'c'ated'adjacent to the pipes'ror conduits l0 and isprovidedbetvveenits outlet-end and said conduitsli`0 a-controlvalvel |-2 which may be of any" suitable' construction capable of being fully opened" or closed or" partially openedf and which' includesarotatable shaft |-3`- adapted; toY be nor# 3 'mali-y manually actuated by a nano wheel; and on which is installed a gear I4 which is keyed to the shaft i3 and which forms a part of the pressure control and regulating device 4.

The pressure control and regulating device 4 includes a conduit, designated generally I5 and which is preferably formed of a material which is a non-conductor or" electricity. The conduit I5 is lapped vertically to form `three substantially parallel portions I5, I1 and Iilwhich Vare preferably enlarged with respect to the remainder of the conduit I5. Theportions I6 and I1 are connected at their lower ends by an4 integral, substantially U-shaped portion I9 and the intermediate portion connected at their upper ends by` a similarly shaped, inverted U-shaped portion 28 which is likewise of smaller diameter than the portions' I5, I1 and I5. The conduit I5 also includes a portion 2l which communicates at one end thereof with .the header ii, between the conduit I and the valve Iand which extends upwardly therefrom and has a turned back upper portion 22 joining the upper end of the conduit leg to portionv I5. rihe opposite end of the conduit I includes a conduit portion 23 which is disposed substantially parallel tothe portions I5, I1, I8 and 2i and which is provided with a turned back lower end 24,'the terminal of which merges with the lower end of the leg portion I8. v The .upper endr of the conduit portion 23 preferably merges with andopens into a domeor container 25, as

Seen in Figure 2, which is closed except for a vent opening 25 in the top thereof and for a purpose hereinafter to be described.` The conduit portions I9, 28 and 24 are all of substantially the same external Yand internal diameters and are each of smaller diameter than the leg portions I6, I1 and I8.

The intermediate extending and upwardly opening filling neck 21 normally closed by a plug or closure 28. The lower portions of the legs I5 and I1 and the lconnecting U-shaped portion cury as indicated at 23 and thelower portion of the leg I 3 andthe lower part of the conduit portion 23 and its U-portion 2dA are likewise filled with mercury so thatthe columns of mercury 29 will normally extend upwardly to the level as indicated by the arrows Sli.v The upper ends of the legs I1 and'IS and the inverted U`shaped portion 25 is then filled through the neck 21 With a liquid which is a such as oil and so 3l will rest on the upper ends of the columns ofmercury contained in legs I1 and I8. e e

The conduit leg I8 contains two longitudinally spaced bosses 32, oneof which is disposed just beneath the levelfline 38 andthe other of vwhich is disposed a slightly greater distance there,-

above. The conduit portion 23 also contains two A longitudinally spaced bosses 32 which are disposed substantially Vabove the normal mercury level line 38 and the U-shaped conduit portion 2Q also contains a boss 32, which is located in the lower part thereof. Each'- ofY the bosses 32, :as best illustrated in Figure 3, is internally threaded to receive an externally threaded bushing 33 of-v Y7o inner end thereof to beyond` the outer end and insulating material and which extendsfrorn the which is provided with a centralbore 34 which is internally threaded to receive a threaded rod 35. The rod35 has .an inner end protruding Il and the portion, I8 are part of the inverted VU shaped portion 25 is provided with an integral upwardly lo are filled with meri non-conductor of electricity, rthat the two columns ofoil from the outer end of its bushing 33 and combined therewith to form a plug or closure for the bore of the boss 32 with which it is associated. The rod 35 is formed of an electrical conducting material to form an electrical contact. Each of the rods 35 has a pair of nuts or a nut washer 33 threaded on its outer end and by means of which an electrical conductor wire may be electrically-connected thereto. l The parts previously described and best illustrated in Figure 3 are identical in each of the bosses 32. The conductor rod of the upper boss 32 of the conduit leg I8 forms an electrical contact 31 and the rod 35 of the other boss of the leg I8 forms an elecinto the conduit I5and an outer.endprojecting-.75

trical contact 38. The rod of the upper and ,lower bosses 32 of the conduit portion 23 form electrical contacts 38 and 48, respectively, and the rod 35 which is associated with the turned back conduit portion 24 forms an electrical contact 4I. Control device 4 includes a reversing electric motori42 to the driven shaft 43 of which a pinion 44 is keyed. An intermediate Vvpinion or. gear 45 which may be journalled on a pin or stub shaft 46 projecting from the casing of the motor 42, is interposed between and meshes with the pinion 44V and gear I4 for revolving the gear I4 and shaft I3 from the ,motor shaft 43 and at a considerably reduced .speed relatively thereto. The motor 42 has three Contact posts 41, 48 and rlhe contact post 41 iselectrically connected to the positive side of .a source of electric current, here indicated by a generator 5I), by means of fa conductor wire 5I. The contact post 48 is connected by conductor wire 52 to the contact de in the conduit portion 23 and the contact post 49 is connected by a conductor wire 53 to the contact pointv3 in vthe rleg I8. The contact point 4I is connected vto a ground 54 by a conductor wire 55 yand the generator Vor electrical source 58 is also connected to theground 54 ofv the circuit by a conductor wirey 56.l

` The positive'conductor 5I of the source of the electriccurrent 50 also has a branch conductor 51 leading'to onefpostof a pressure alarm 58 and a branch 59 of. the conductor wire 51 leads tothe positive` post of a vacuum alarm 50. The alarms 58-a'nd 38 may hoof any conventional type including audible or visual alarms, The negative post of the pressure alarm' 58 is'oon` nected by a conductor wire 6I to the upper contact Vpoint 330i theconduit Aportion 23 and theV negative post of vthe vacuum alarm 60 is connected by al conducto-r wire "62 to the upper contact pointer or the ieg i8.-

Assuming that a leakage of steam past the seal 9 into the conduit III producesa pressure in thev manifold I I-so that the pressure in the mani-` upwardly in theleg I1. f It vwill be readilyap? parent that the mercury column in the leg- I1 by" being 'raised will raise the oil column 3| inthe leg I1 andforce the oil. column 3.I downwardly in the leg'I8 tothereby lower the mercury column 29 of the leg I8 tothe Same: extent that the mercury columnis raised in the leg .I1 and the `mercury column; in the conduit portion 23 will rise toa greater extent, due to the fact that the diameter of said portion is reduced.- Assuming that a quarter of a pound pressure of the steam or compressed medium in the upper end of the leg I6 so displaces the mercury columns and oil column that the mercury column 29 of the leg I8 will move downwardly until it is just beneath and out of contact with the electrical contact point 38, and further assuming that one pound steam pressure in the upper end of the leg I6 will displace the mercury columns and oil column suciently to move the mercury column 29 within the conduit portion 23 upwardly into contact with the conn tact point 49, it Will he readily apparent that when the mercury columns are between and out of engagement with both the contact points 38 and lli) that a pressure within the desired range exists within the manifold Il and pipes I and on the seals 9. With this condition prevailing the valve I2 will be slightly open to permit escape of certain of the steam past the valve and into the outlet end of the manifold conduit I I .where a slight vacuum or at least no pressure exists to hamper the escapement of the steam. With the mercury column thus disposed the electric motor 42 will be denergized so that the valve I2 will remain in a fixed, partially open position. Should the pressure in the manifold IIv diminish to below one quarter pound, the mercury column would rise in the legs I6 and I8 and lower in the legs I7 and 23 so that the mercury would contact the contact point 38 to ground the circuit of the electric motor 42 through the wire 53, contact 39, the mercury column in leg I8 between contact 38 andi contact 4i, and from contact 4I through the wire 55 to the ground 54 of the circuit so that the reversing motor 42 would be actuated and turn the shaft 43 in a direction to move the valve I2 toward a closed position. This would cause a reduction in the amount of steam escaping past the valve I2 and an increased pressure in the manifold II to thereby cause the mercury column to be displaced in the opposite direction and so that the column of mercury of the leg I 8 would lower and be out of engagement with the contact 38 for interrupting the circuit to the electric motor 42 through the post 49, to thereby again deenergize the motor and interrupt the movement of the valve I2, toward a closed position. On the other hand, should the pressure increase in the manifold I I the columns of mercury in the legs I6 and I8 would fall to levels below those as shown in Figure 2 and the columns of mercury in the legs II and 23 would rise still higher than illustrated until the mercury 29 in the leg 23 contacted the contact point 40. When this occurs, the electric motor 42 would be energized by the circuit thereof being grounded from the post 48 through the conductor wire 52, contact and the mercury 29 between the contact 40 and 4I, contact 4I through the conductor ywire 55 to the ground. The reversible motor 42 being thusly energized would revolve its shaft 43 in the opposite direction for turning the shaft I3 in a direction to open the valve I2 to release a greater amount of the compressed medium for reducing the pressure, and upon sufficient reduction of pressure in the manifold II to lower the mercury column 29 of leg 23 out of contact with the contact point 40, the electric motor 42 would again be deenergized and the valve I2 movement interrupted.

In case a sudden lowering of pressure to zero amount should occur in the manifold I I and a vacuum is created therein causing the mercury 29 in the legs I6 and I8 to rise substantially above the normal level line 30, the mercury column in the leg I8 will contact contact point 3T completing an electrical circuit by the establishment of a ground through the mercury and through the contact 4I and wire 55 so that there is electric current through the conductor wires 5l and 59, the vacuum alarm and back through the conductor wire 62 for energizing and actuating the vacuum alarm 88 to indicate a vacuum in the manifold I I and at the seals.

If, on the other hand, an excess pressure should suddenly develop in the manifold II which would raise the mercury columns in the legs ll and 23 excessively, the mercury in leg 23 would move into contact with the contact point 39 for closing the circuit from the electrical source 50 through the wire 5l and the pressure alarm 58, back through the wire 6I and contact 39 through the mercury 29 in leg 2.3l to contact 4I and thence to the ground 54 for energizing the pressure alarm 58. The dome or container 25 is provided to accommodate a part of the mercury 29 in case of such excess pressure and the vent opening 26 is formed on top thereof to permit the free passage of air back and forth therethrough to prevent a pressure or vacuum occurring above the mercury in the leg 23 and .which would tend to prevent the normal movement of the mercury and oil columns.

As previously stated, the conduit I5 is preferably formed of a non-electrically conducting material such as glass or other transparent and insulative material so that the levels of the mercury columns may be observed therethrough and so that the electrical circuits completed through the mercury columns in legs 23 and I8 will be f-ully insulated from other portions thereby making the device adaptable where the pressure medium is of an inflammable nature or itself an electrical conductor. It will be readily apparent that the conduit I5 could be formed of opaque material and in certain installations would not need to be formed of a non-conducting material, since the contact rods 35 are insulated therefrom, as previously described and as illustrated in Figure 3 and which is unnecessary unless the conduit I5 is formed of a material which is a conductor of electricity.

The control would be adapted for operating various alarms, valves, pumps etc. in systems such as tanks and piping apparatus to automatically provide desired volumes inside of containers, vats or other apparatus.

Various other modifications and changes are likewise contemplated and may obviously be resorted to in adapting the device to various uses as for example for employment with refineries or distilleries, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter dened by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pressure responsive apparatus comprising a conduit having one end adapted to communicate with a source of pressure, the opposite end of the conduit being vented to the atmosphere, said conduit having a plurality of substantially vertically disposed, horizontally spaced lapped portions forming legs, of which said rst mentioned end forms a part of one of the legs, conduit portions forming a part of said conduit and connecting adjacent ends of adjacent lapped portions, the lower portions of certain of said conduit legs and certain of said conduit portions being lled with a fluent, electrical conducting material, the upper portions of certain of lsaid legs and other of the connecting conduit portions therebetween being lled with a uent, nonelec trical conducting material which is supported by the columns of the fluent electrical conducting material and sealed off thereby from the ends of the conduit, electrical contacts interposed in certain of thelegs of the conduit, an electric contact disposed in the conduit and positioned to be maintained at all times in engagement with the fluent electrical conducting material, certain of the rst mentioned electric contacts being adapted to be interposed in each of two electric circuits, said last mentioned electric contact being adapted to form a part of each circuit, the first mentioned contacts being disposed to be at times alternately engaged by the electrical conducting iluent material in response to an increase or a decrease of pressure beyond a prescribed range in said rst mentioned end of the conduit for selectively closing the circuit of which it forms a part.

2, A pressure responsive device comprising a tube adapted to be connected at one end to a variable source oi pressure, the opposite end of the conduit being Vented to the atmosphere, said tube having a substantially U -shaped portion containing a uent, electrical conducting material normally extending in columns to a predetermined level therein, electrical contacts extending into the legs of the U-shaped tube portion certain of which are adapted to be interposed in each of two electric circuits each including a source of electric current, certain of said contacts being disposed above the normal level of the fluent material and within said tube, and a grounded contact forming a part of each circuit located in constant electrical contact with said lluent material, said fluent material being displaceable in the legs of the U-shaped portion of the tube in response to pressure variations in said tubev end and being movable thereby either alternately or intermittently, into engagement with the first mentioned electrical contacts, normally disposed above said columns, for selectively energizing and de-energizing the electric circuits.

3.`A device as in claim 2, and certain of the first mentioned electrical contacts being adapted to be interposed in circuits of audible alarms together with said grounded contact for intermittently or alternately closing said last mentioned circuits in response to excessive pressure fluctuations.

PAUL V. HAYES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

